Luke Gregory, Coach for Hire (FBCB Dynasty)

[GoBlue2419]

Despite the loss in the A10 Tourney Final, we are dancing, the first time in my head coaching career my team makes the NCAA Tournament!! We end up as a 5th seed in the West Region, and will face off against 12th seed Idaho State (25-6, 11-5). GWU is the 16th seed in the West thanks to their A10 Tourney win.

[GoBlue2419]

2016 NCAA Tournament

#1 seeds
West - Texas
Midwest - Marquette
South - Florida
East - Arizona

Idaho State Scouting Report
The Bengals (Prestige: 30, current RPI: #82) are led by SG Stuart Brough, who is averaging 18.8 PPG and 6.3 RPG. They also get scoring from SF Michael Murphy, 14.6 PPG, and PG Dominic Morris, 14.4 PPG. This perimeter trio makes up the vast majority of their scoring on average. PF Charles Hickock is averaging 10.5 RPG, so it should be a good battle between him and Goodell. Hickock also averages 2.4 blocks per game. Idaho State averages 77.3 points a game, and gives up an average of 67.5. They make 46% of their shots, good for 33rd in the nation, and 39% of their threes, good for 16th in the country. Free throw shooting is a weakness, hitting just 63% as a team. They average 13.8 turnovers a game. Their biggest win of the year was beating Gonzaga 70-61 on 11/23/15.

[bbgunn]

Congratulations on the NCAAs!

This is my favorite dynasty right now. Keep it up!

We need more FBCB dynasties. If I had enough computer time, I would get the game myself and start one.

If you have time, can you check up on Hawaii? I know they won the CBI a few seasons ago.

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by bbgunn

Congratulations on the NCAAs!

This is my favorite dynasty right now. Keep it up!

We need more FBCB dynasties. If I had enough computer time, I would get the game myself and start one.

If you have time, can you check up on Hawaii? I know they won the CBI a few seasons ago.

Thanks bbgunn! I appreciate it. I'm not sure I have enough computer time myself, but I'm enjoying this dynasty too much.

As for Hawaii, here is how they have done thus far:
2011-2012 - 17-14 (8-8) - no postseason
2012-2013 - 20-11 (9-7) - no postseason
2013-2014 - 13-18 (4-12) - no postseason
2014-2015 - 25-9 (11-5) - CBI Champion
2015-2016 - 23-10 (11-3) - since this is where I am in the dynasty, I can tell you they also make the NCAA Tournament this year, as a 13th seed, but lose in the 1st Round to 4th seed Michigan State, 68-63.

[GoBlue2419]

2016 NCAA Tournament Round 1

We beat Idaho State 65-49 (30-5, 13-3) - My first NCAA Tournament win, and our 30th win of the season (most wins in one season in RIchmond history)! We hold them to 32% shooting from the field, and 23% from the three-point line, while turning the ball over 17 times. Tesch scored 22 points to lead the way, while Mott added 12. Goodell grabbed 9 rebounds. We blocked 7 shots as a team, with Mott getting 2 blocks and Charles Doak blocking 2! Meanwhile, Idaho State PF Charles Hickock blocked 7 shots.

* A negative in this game though is Fredric Mott sprained his knee. We'll have to watch it closely over the next day and a half to see if he can go in the 2nd Round game.

Other 1st Round Notable Games:

West
- (16) GWU beat (1) Texas 77-74!!
- (10) Clemson beat (7) Houston 118-81
- (11) Iowa beat (6) Stanford 68-57

Midwest
- (12) Kent State beat (5) Oklahoma State 78-68
- (11) Syracuse beat (6) Ohio State 78-70

South
- (13) Western Kentucky beat (4) North Carolina 74-73

East
- (15) Jacksonville beat (2) Mississippi State 83-77

[collegesportsfanms]

Congrats on the first round win coach Gregory, but wow, what an upset with GW beating Texas! I keep telling everybody that a 16 will beat a 1 someday in the real NCAA mens tournament.

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by collegesportsfanms

Congrats on the first round win coach Gregory, but wow, what an upset with GW beating Texas! I keep telling everybody that a 16 will beat a 1 someday in the real NCAA mens tournament.

Thank you! Yeah, with the parity in college basketball nowadays, it sure is a lot more likely than it used to be.

[GoBlue2419]

2016 NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

We will face 4th seed Michigan State, who got by 13th seed Hawaii 68-63.

Michigan State Scouting Report
Record: 25-8, 10-6
Prestige: 92

SG Gerald Alexander is leading scorer at 16.2 PPG, followed by C Blaine Hartnett, 14.1 PPG, and PG Dennis Devaney, 12.5 PPG. Leading rebounder is PF John Andrews, averagingg 10.2 RPG. Andrews also blocks 3.3 shots a game. As a team, they average 76.3 points a game, and give up 65.6 a game. They get out-rebounded on average by 1.8 a game, but turn the ball over just 11.3 times a game as a team, good for 3rd in the nation. They shoot 43.7% overall, and 36% from threes. Their biggest win of the year was probably beating Illinois (#15) 73-60 on 1/30/16.


* Mott is at 87% health, so we're going to play him, but lower his minutes.

[GoBlue2419]

2016 NCAA Tournament 2nd Round Results

- we lose to Michigan State 65-48 (30-6, 13-3) - We shoot just 30% overall, and 17% from the three-point line. They were just the better team. Tesch is the only player in double-digits points for us, with 13. Michigan State's PG Dennis Devaney scored 20, and C Blaine Hartnett added 17. Their PF John Andrews grabbed 18 rebounds. Goodell had 11 rebounds for us. Andrews also blocked 6 shots.


Other Second Round Notable Games

West
(10) Clemson beat (2) St. Louis 76-68

Midwest
(8) Missouri State beat (1) Marquette 81-79
(7) Virginia beat (2) Vanderbilt 82-79

South
(9) Fresno State beat (1) Florida 79-68
(6) UConn beat (3) Illinois 69-53

East
(9) Arkansas beat (1) Arizona 95-87

[GoBlue2419]

Rest of the 2016 NCAA Tournament

Sweet Sixteen Notable Games
Midwest - (9) Fresno State beat (5) Wisconsin 92-87
East - (3) Minnesota beat (2) Mississippi State 88-79

Round of 8 Notable Games
West - (3) Missouri demolished (4) Michigan State 101-56
East - (4) Villanova beat (3) Minnesota 81-52

Final Four
(3) Missouri 86, (2) Notre Dame 77
(3) Oklahoma 96, (4) Villanova 85

Championship
(3) Oklahoma 73, (3) Missouri 68

[GoBlue2419]

Other Tournament Winners
NIT - Wright State 95, Kansas 87
CBI - Virginia Tech 80, Boston University 65
CIT - Maryland-E Shore 73, Centenary 63

National Award Winners


Atlantic 10 Award Winners


- I was really thinking I might get the A10 Coach of the Year Award, but alas, congrats to Coach Schmidt.

[GoBlue2419]

Final 2015-2016 Richmond Spiders Stats


Final 2015-2016 Richmond Spiders Shooting Stats


- Tesch finished 3rd in the conference in scoring. Leading scorer was Perry Gibson (RI) with 17.8.
- Goodell led the conference in rebounding with 10.9.
- Mott was 2nd in the conference in blocks at 2.3.

[GoBlue2419]

Final 2015-2016 Atlantic 10 Standings

[GoBlue2419]

Recruiting Recap

Our recruiting class is ranked #53.
1. PG Freddy Chase - Yorktown High School, NY (****, #95)
2. C Paul Ortega - Greenwich High School, NY (***, #240)
3. C Lavrenti Tverdovsky - Russia (***, #398)

Top 10 Recruiting Classes
1. Ohio State
2. Wake Forest
3. Kansans
4. Texas
5. UNLV
6. USC
7. Villanova
8. Tennessee
9. Memphis
10. Stanford

[GoBlue2419]

2016-2017 Offseason News

A10 Players selected in the NBA Draft
St. Joseph's PF Frank York selected #6 overall.

Walk-on C Tim Caron decides to transfer.

Due to last season's success, the budget gets an increase of $73,074.
- Total Budget - $660,574
- Season Recruiting Budget - $330,574
- Monthly Recruiting Budget - $33,057

Our prestige jumps up to 70.
My hot seat rating moves to Green/Cool.
Our season expectation is to compete for the conference championship.

Notable Head Coaching Changes
- Miami (FL) - Jim Larranaga retired. Hired Todd Howard from Western Kentucky to replace him.
- Mississippi State - Mike Davis retired. Hired Saul Phillips from Missouri State to replace him.

[GoBlue2419]

We bid farewell to the following seniors:

- PG Charles Doak (Roanoke, VA - Northside HS) - Doak did not become a starter until his senior season, but he had a very solid senior year. For his career, he played in 97 games total, starting 36 games. He scored 513 points for his carrer, averaging 5.3 PPG. Coming out of high school he was a *** recruit, ranked #316 overall.

- PF Fredric Mott (Richmond, VA - John Marshall HS) - A hometown boy, Mott was a three-year starter, and will go down as one of the best rebounders in Richmond history. He finished his career with 606 total rebounds, or 4.7 per game for his career. He scored 1079 points, good for 8.4 per game, in the 129 games he played in his career. He started 101 games over the four years. He came to Richmond as a *** prospect, ranked #120 overall.

- SG Jackie Tesch (Lynchburg, VA - Brookville HS) - Tesch finishes his career with 1340 points. He played in 129 games, starting 67 of those games. For his career he averaged 10.4 points per game, including 15.4 his junior year, and 17.1 his senior season. He also grabbed 326 rebounds, dished out 224 assists, and picked up 83 steals. He made 155 three-pointers over his career, including 73 his senior season. He was named 2nd Team All-Conference his senior season as well. Coming out of high school, Tesch was a *** Prospect, ranked #100 overall.

[GoBlue2419]

Recruiting - we have 3 scholarships available - we will lose PF and 2 C's.

- initial Very High Interests in us - C David Roberson (***, #479), PG Buck Brown (***)
- we offer PF John Johnson (****, #33), C Jonathan Wright (****, #87), C Frank Williams (***, #103)

[GoBlue2419]

August Recruiting Update

- Wright has us #4 (Duke, Notre Dame, Maryland, Richmond, NC State)
- Williams has us #2 (Boston College, Richmond, Boston U,
- Johnson has us #3 (Maryland, St. John's, Richmond, George Mason)

[GoBlue2419]

October Recruiting Update

- Very Highs - Johnson, Wright, Williams, PG Melvin Butler (***), C David Roberson (***), PG Eddie Salazar (***)

- Highs - PG Gregory Lee (***)

- Johnson (#1 ahead of St. John's and Maryland - neither has offered)
- Wright (#1, ahead of Maryland (offered), Duke, NC State, and Notre Dame, who have not)
- Butler (#1, ahead of Columbia, Hartford, Maryland, George Mason)
- Roberson (#2 behind Hampton, who has offered)
- Salazar (#1, only one on list)
- Williams (#1, ahead of Boston College (offered), Syracuse, Villanova, Michigan State, who have not).

[GoBlue2419]

November Recruiting Update

Williams commits to us.

Very Highs - Johnson, Wright, Salazar
Highs - none

- Johnson - #1, ahead of St. John's, Maryland, Notre Dame, Kansas
- Wright - #1, ahead of just Maryland, who has offered also.

[GoBlue2419]

2016-2017 Richmond Spiders Roster



- Freshman Paul Ortega has been ruled academically ineligible.
- Freshman walk-on PF William Swaim will be redshirted.

[GoBlue2419]

2016-2017 Richmond Spiders Schedule

[GoBlue2419]

2016-2017 Richmond Spiders Depth Chart

Starting Line-up
C - David Willard, Sr
PF - Quinton Goodell, Sr
SF - Johnnie Tramel, So
SG - Ross Renn, So
PG - Chuck Whittemore, So

6th - Freddy Chase, Fr (PG/SG)
7th - Wallace Rodriguez, Sr (PF/C)
8th - Micah Tolson, Jr (SF/SG)
9th - Fredric Kennon, So (SG)
10th - Trey Kempf, So (PG)
11th - Joel Deweese, So (PG)
12th - William Hayes, So (PF)
13th - Lavrenti Tverdovsky, Fr (C/PF)

We'll probably play 8 guys regularly, and then Hayes and Tverdovsky will probably see action depending on foul trouble for Willard, Goodell, and Rodriguez.

[GoBlue2419]

2016-2017 Preseason Top 24 Poll

[GoBlue2419]

November Games Update

Coaches Invitational Tournament
11/6/16 - beat Air Force 68-60 (1-0) - Air Force shot just 35% to our 46%, the main difference in this game. Ross Renn scored 22 point to lead us in scoring, while Chuck Whittemore scored 14 and Quinton Goodell scored 10. Goodell also grabbed 9 rebounds. Renn also dished out 4 assists to lead the team.

11/7/16 - beat #13 Florida 94-90 (2-0) - This was an amazing game. Ross Renn and Florida's David Beale put each other's teams on their backs, and it was a shootout between them. Renn finished with 29 points, while Beale put up 33, coming off of a 34 point game in Florida's first game. A good portion of Renn's points came from the free throw line, where he went 15-20, while shooting 6-12 from the field. Tramel added 17 points, David Willard had 14, Freddy Chase added 12, and Micah Tolson scored 10. Quinton Goodell was a pure freak on the glass, grabbing a career high 19 rebounds, while Wallace Rodriguez was also in double-figures, grabbing 10 rebounds. Renn did have 8 turnovers though, to put a little damper on his performance. The team turned the ball over 25 times, but getting to the free throw line 47 times, hitting 35 of them, overcame those TOs.

11/13/17 - lose to #11 Illinois 75-70 (2-1) - Another game where we turn the ball over a lot, 20 times to be exact, but 53% overall, and 52% three-point shooting, keeps us in the game. Illinois shot 43% overall, and 47% on threes, and won the rebounding battle 35-24. Ross Renn scored 21 points to lead all scorers, and Whittemore and Chase scored 12 each, and Goodell chipped in 11. Goodell grabbed 7 rebounds to pace the team. Renn turned the ball over 6 times, so that is now 14 turnovers in 2 games. Both Whittemore and Chase hit 4 threes each.

11/21/17 - beat Old Dominion 81-63 (3-1) - Despite 18 turnovers, we shot 49% from the field, and out rebounded ODU 44-32 to pull off the win. Goodell scored 20 points to lead the way, grabbing 15 rebounds in the process. Micah Tolson added 17 off the bench, and Renn scored 14 points. Renn has 8 turnovers once again. The kid scores (4 threes), but he is careless with the ball, something we are going to have to address.

11/26/17 - beat Kentucky 71-63 (4-1) - Kentucky falls to 0-2 as we pull of the win at UK. We outshoot them 42% to 37%, and 36% to 22% on three-pointers. We out rebounded them 42-38 also. Tramel scored 15 to lead the way, with Goodell scoring 14, and Willard and Renn score 10 each. Goodell also grabbed 13 rebounds. Renn was able to cut down on his turnovers to just 3.

11/30/17 - beat VCU 70-59 (5-1) - Defensively we limit VCU to 33% shooting from the field overall, and 31% from threes, and grab 37 rebounds to their 27. Tramel scored 26 points to lead the way, with Renn scoring 11 to continue his streak of games in double-figure points. Willard led the team in rebounding with 9, as Goodell was limited due to foul trouble. Tramel shot 4-9 from beyond the arc.

[GoBlue2419]

December 2016 Update

- Wright ends up declining to go to Maryland.
- Johnson ends up declining to go to St. John's.
- we offer scholarships to PG Charles Gallo (***)

12/7/17 - beat Alabama A&M 71-69 (6-1) - Alabama A&M hit a three at the buzzer to pull within 2, but it was not enough in this one. We force 22 turnovers by Alabama A&M, but they shoot 48% from the three-point line and out-rebound us 37-30 to keep this one close. We shot 43% overall, but 27% on threes, and manage to cut down on turnovers with just 11. Renn scored 17 to lead the way, with Whittemore scoring 14, and Tramel added 11 points. Wallace Rodriguez led the team in rebounding with 8. Renn shoots 2-10 on three-pointers, and turns the ball over 4 times. Tramel picks up 6 assists.

12/10/17 - beat College of Charleston 75-68 (7-1) - We were trailing 35-33 at half-time, but a solid 2nd half gets us the win. We shot 48% from the field, and 50% (11-22) on three-pointers, to help pace the comeback. Renn scores 20 points behind 4 three-pointers, with Chase and Tolson scoring 13 apiece. Goodell pulls down 14 rebounds to lead both teams. Freddie Chase also picks up 3 steals.

* Ross Renn received a bruised jaw in this game, and may be out for about 8 days.

12/14/17 - beat Butler 71-65 (8-1) - Renn ends up playing, and contributes to the win. The foul line was where this game was won, as almost all statistical areas were even except free throws. We shot 14-19 from the line, while Butler shot just 9 free throws, making 6 of them. David Willard led us in scoring with 15, while Renn and Tramel scored 14 each. Both Willard and Goodell pulled down 7 rebounds each, and Chuck Whittemore dished out 6 assists.

12/17/17 - beat Delaware State 51-39 (9-1) - We win a sloppy game against a severely undermanned Delaware State squad. Dressing just 9 players, DSU fell to 0-8 on the season. This game was just 13-13 at half-time, but both teams picked up their play in the 2nd half. Not to give you the wrong idea though, it was still not pretty. We shot 35% overall from the floor, but only turned the ball over 7 times. Delaware State shot just 29%. Renn scored 20 points to lead all scorers, and Tramel added 12. Wallace Rodriguez grabbed 9 rebounds.

* We moved into the Top 25, at #25, after this game.

12/21/17 - we beat Houston Baptist 77-52 (10-1) - We shot 48%, and out-rebounded Houston Baptist 43-26 to key the victory. HBU shot 40% overall, and turned the ball over 15 times. Renn scored 19 points, Tramel added 14, and Willard chipped in 10 points. Willard also grabbed 13 rebounds, while Goodell added 9.

* we move up to #22

Scouting Report for #24 West Virginia - very balanced scoring as all 5 starters are averaging double-digits in points, and no one more than 13.3 PPG. As a team they are averaging 70 points a game, but giving up only 53.8 points a game (3rd lowest in the country), so play very solid defense. They are coached by the man I replaced at Richmond, Chris Mooney. They lead the nation in fewest fouls, at 14.3 a game, and 2nd in the nation with 8.4 blocks per game.

12/28/17 - lose to West Virginia 68-51 (10-2) - Poor shooting was our downfall here, as we shoot just 34% overall, and hit only 3 of 18 three-pointers. Tramel is the only Spider in double-digits, with 11 points, which means this is the first game all season Renn does not reach double-digits in points. Willard pulled down 8 rebounds to lead the team. Tramel turned the ball over 5 times. WVU PF Chester Hyatt blocked 4 shots, and the Mountaineers blocked 6 as a team.

[GoBlue2419]

January 2017 Update

- Paul Ortega is eligible.

- PG Gallo declines to attend St. Peter's.
- we offer scholarship to PG Benjamin Brandmaier (***, #117, from Germany) & PF Tyron Helmuth (***, #142, from Canada)

Renn is leading us in scoring at this point, averaging 17.0 PPG, while Johnie Tramel is averaging 12.4 PPG. Quinton Goodell is averaging 8.9 RPG, followed by David Willard at 7.0 RPG. Tramel also leads in assists at 2.7 APG, and Freddy Chase leads us in steals at 1.4 SPG. Goodell is shotting 52.2% from the floor, while Renn is shooting 33% from threes (27-82) and Tramel is shooting 39% (24-62). Willard is shooting 81% on free throws (25-31), and Renn is shooting 73% (53-73).

The current NCAA Top 10 is:
1. Syracuse (14-1)
2. Wisconsin (13-1)
3. Ohio State (11-1)
4. Duke (14-0)
5. Marquette (13-0)
6. North Carolina (13-2)
7. Kansas (12-1)
8. Michigan State (10-1)
9. Memphis (11-2)
10. Minnesota (10-1)

We are ranked #22 as we start January.

1/2/17 - beat Colgate 70-54 (11-2) - Strong defense led the way for us, limiting them to 35% overall, 25% from the three-point line, and out-rebounding them 43-27. Micah Tolson came off the bench to score 20 points, the only player in double-digits. Goodell pulled down 12 rebounds, and Willard grabbed 11. Tolson also dished out 4 assists.

* we fell out of the Top 25 with the West Virginia loss.

1/7/17 - beat Winston-Salem 75-67 (12-2) - We were down by 2 at half, but outscored them 41-31 in the second half. We shot 43% overall, while they shot 37% from the field, and 37% on threes. Renn gets back in the scoring mode, going for 17 points, while Tramel scored 14, and Goodell added 10. Goodell also grabbed 11 rebounds.

* Goodell fractured his nose in this game. Will be out around 6 days it is expected.

* A10 Play begins

1/11/17 - beat St. Joseph's 78-54 (13-2, 1-0) - Despite getting 31 from SG David Hutchinson, our overall team defense and rebounding fueled this win, which was the 100th win of my career! St. Joe's shot just 33% overall and15% on threes, while we shot 43% overall, and 52% (11-21) from the three-point line. Tramel scored 23 for us, while Renn and Chase added 12 points each. Willard also grabbed 13 rebounds. Goodell dished out 5 assists from his PF position. Tramel's 23 points were helped by 5 of 8 shooting on threes.

* My overall record now is 100-45 for my career.

1/14/17 - lose to St. Bonaventure 81-63 (13-3, 1-1) - This game was ugly all-around. We had 22 turnovers, St. Bonnie had 19. The Bonnies shot 63% from the field though to secure the win. St.B SG Rodney Calabro led all scorers with 20 points. For us, Renn scored 17 points, Tramel added 14, and Whittemore scored 10. Goodell added 8 rebounds. Renn had 6 turnovers, Goodell had 5, and Chase had 4.

1/17/17 - beat Rhode Island 82-73 (14-3, 2-1) - We shot 51% from the floor, and 50% on threes. Tramel and Renn both went for 21 points as both hit 3 threes. Goodell grabbed 11 rebounds. Renn dished out 5 assists. Rhode Island SF Ramon Appel goes for 22, and Perry Gibson scores 19.

1/21/17 - beat George Washington 85-81 (15-3, 3-1) - This game saw some high-scoring from three players. GWU SF Justin Ledezma led all scorers with 28 points, while David Willard had 24 for us, and Tramel added 21. Wallace Rodriguez also scored 15 for us, and Renn chipped in 11. Rodriguez also grabbed 8 rebounds to lead us in that category. Meanwhile, Tramel led us with 6 assists.

* Goodell is suffering from patellar tendinitis, and will miss about 13 days.

1/25/17 - lose to UMass 80-63 (15-4, 3-2) - UMass hit 14 of 19 three-pointers, and shot 54% overall, proving to be too much for us to overcome. We struggled to 36% shooting, and 30% from the three-point line. Renn scored 21 points and Tramel added 18 points. Wallace Rodriguez, starting for the injured Quinton Goodell, grabbed 11 rebounds, but shot only 2-10. Tramel turned the ball over 5 times.

* Jim Calhoun passed Mike Kryzewski for the most wins all-time, with 994, after UConn's game against Central Florida on 1/25/17.

1/28/17 - lose to Duquesne 77-64 (15-5, 3-3) - Poor shooting is our downfall, shooting 34% from the field and just 4 of 23 on three-pointers. Meanwhile, Duquesne shot 53% from the field. Renn scored 17 points, Willard added 15, and Freddie Chase added 11 off the bench. Willard also grabbed 12 rebounds.

[GoBlue2419]

February 2017 Recap

- Tyron Helmuth declines to attend Indiana.
- We offer a scholarship to PG Brian Avila (***, #).

- Paul Ortega complains about lack of playing time.

- we are 9-0 at home, but just 4-4 on the road.

Current Conference Standings
1. #9 Temple (6-0)
2. St. Bonaventure (4-2)
3. Duquesne (4-2)
4. Richmond (3-3)
5. Massachusetts (3-3)
6. Rhode Island (3-3)
7. St. Joseph's (2-4)
8. George Washington (2-4)
9. Fordham (2-4)
10. La Salle (1-5)

Ross Renn is leading us in scoring still at 16.5 PPG, while Tramel is now averaging 13.9 PPG. Goodell is averaging 8.8 RPG and Willard is at 7.2 RPG. Tramel is averaging 2.3 APG, Chase is averaging 1.6 SPG, and Willard is averaging 0.5 BPG.

Current NCAA Top 10 - and current coach
1. Duke (19-2) - Mike Brey
2. North Carolina (18-4) - Rick Stansbury
3. Marquette (21-0) - Buzz Williams
4. Wisconsin (18-3) - Steve Alford
5. Ohio State (17-3) - Thad Matta
6. California (17-3) - Randy Rahe
7. Houston (19-2) - John Groce
8. Syracuse (18-4) - Greg McDermott
9. Temple (20-1) - Fran Dunphy
10. Michigan State (16-4) - Doug Wojcik

February Games
2/1/17 - beat La Salle 74-55 (16-5, 4-3) - 50% shooting from the field, and just 33% from La Salle, overcame 20 turnovers. La Salle also turned the ball over 21 times, so this one was a fairly sloppy game. Ross Renn scored 25 points to lead us in scoring, while Johnnie Tramel added 16. Goodell and Willard grabbed 12 and 11 rebounds respectively, helping propel us to the advantage in rebounding. Renn shot 5-7 on three-pointers. La Salle's SG Erich Baker scored 16 points to lead them.


2/4/17 - beat St. Bonaventure 81-68 (17-5, 5-3) - Thanks to strong shooting, 56% overall, and 44% on threes, we pull off the big win against St. Bonaventure, who were a game ahead of us in the conference race (though we are both behind Temple). Renn continued his high scoring, getting 24 points, while Willard added 14, Tramel had 11, and Freddie Chase scored 10. Quinton Goodell pulled down 10 rebounds. Renn did turn the ball over 6 times, but also shot 4-10 on threes, and grabbed 5 rebounds. SF Richard Siegel scored 20 points to lead St. Bonaventure.


2/8/17 - beat Duquesne 66-50 (18-5, 6-3) - We outshoot Duquesne 43% to 30% overall, and 40% to 16% from the three-point line, to pull out the win. Renn had his third straight 20+ point game, scoring 21, while Tramel added 16 and Chuck Whittemore scored 11. Whittemore also dished out 6 assists. Goodell grabbed 10 rebounds. Renn shot 4-8 on threes, and Whittemore went 3-3. Duquesne's leading scorer was PF Arthur Stoker, who scored 11.


2/11/17 - beat George Washington 83-60 (19-5, 7-3) - We continue solid 3-pt shooting, hitting 46% of them tonight. GWU hit just 28% of theirs, while shooting only 36% overall. We also limit our turnovers to 8 total, and shoot 28 free throws to GWU's 9 total. Tramel scored 17 to lead us, Freddy Chase added 16 off the bench, Renn scored 14, Willard had 13, and Goodell added 11. Goodell and Willard dominated the boards, grabbing 14 and 13 respectively. GWU's Earle Cramer, the conference's 3rd leading scorer, scored 24 points to lead them.


2/15/17 - beat Fordham 79-67 (20-5, 8-3) - We reach 20 wins on the season with the victory over Fordham. We shot 43% on three-pointers as the good shooting continues. We won the rebounding battle, 35-28. Renn scored 19 points, Micah Tolson added 16, and Goodell and Tramel chipped in 12 points. Goodell also picked up 13 rebounds. Tramel shot 2-3 on threes, Renn went 3-7, Chase hit 3 of 4, and Tolson hit 3 of 8. Paul Ortega also hit a three off the bench. Fordham's SG James Autrey led them with 13 points.


* David Willard dislocated his knee in the Fordham game, and will be out about 25 days. We will miss him for sure, and probably means he misses some of the A10 Tournament, if not all of it. Wallace Rodriguez will start in his place.


2/18/17 - we beat Rhode Island 71-64 (21-5, 9-3) - The win over Rhode Island is our 6th straight win. We outshoot them 49% to 33% overall, 35% to 16% on threes, which helped us overcome 20 turnovers. Renn led us with 18 points, while Tramel scored 16, and Goodell added 11. Goodell grabbed 13 rebounds, and Rodriguez grabbed 12 in Willard's absence. Rodriguez also blocked 2 shots. Rhode Island SG Perry Gibson led them in scoring with 15 points.

* Temple is ranked #3 in the nation now, 26-1 overall, 12-0 in the conference.

2/21/17 - lose to St. Joseph's 67-53 (21-6, 9-4) - Our shooting comes back down to earth, shooting 37% overall, and 30% from the three-point line. We also shot just 9 free throws, but then hit only 3 of them. Renn scored 15 points, and Goodell and Rodriguez added 10 points each. They both also grabbed 13 and 12 rebounds respectively. St. Joseph's David Hutchinson, the conference's leading scorer, scored 25 points to lead them.

* Goodell went over the 1000 rebound mark for his career in this game.

* Temple beat Rhode Island today also, which means they clinch the regular season A10 title.


2/25/17 - lose to UMass 69-64 (21-7, 9-5) - Two losses in a row now. The difference here was free throws, as UMass shot 29 of them, hitting 22, while we shot just 18, and only hit 12 of them. Otherwise stats were pretty even - 39% shooting for them, 38% for us, 16 turnovers for them, 15 for us. They did get 40 rebounds to our 35. Renn scored 18 points to lead us, while Tramel added 13. Goodell led us in rebounding with 9. UMass SG David Dixon led them in scoring with 25 points.

[GoBlue2419]

March 2017 Update

- PG Brian Avila (***, #475) commits.

- PG Brandmaier still has us #1, and we are the only school in his top 5 (Georgetown, St. Joseph's, Conn, Louisville) to offer him.

Conference Standings
1. #3 Temple (14-0)
2. Richmond (9-5)
3. Rhode Island (8-6)
4. St. Bonaventure (8-6)
5. St. Joseph's (7-7)
6. Duquesne (7-7)
7. UMass (6-8)
8. Fordham (5-9)
9. La Salle (3-11)
10. George Washington (3-11)

NCAA Top 10
1. Duke (26-3)
2. California (24-4)
3. Temple (28-1)
4. Wisconsin (24-5)
5. North Carolina (23-7)
6. Kansas (24-5)
7. Syracuse (23-6)
8. Memphis (23-4)
9. Michigan State (22-6)
10. Marquette (24-5)

Bubble Watch
- Right now we and Temple are both considered locks for the NCAA Tournament.
- Rhode Island (17-11, 8-6) is on the bubble, but currently projected to be out.

3/1/17 - lose to #3 Temple 71-51 (21-8, 9-6) - the difference between us and Temple is made evident in this game, as they just shut us down. Their enveloping defense limits us to 32% shooting, and causes us to turn the ball over 22 times. Tramel is the only player in double-digits points for us, with 15. Renn scored 9 on 2-12 shooting (1-6 on threes). Tramel turned the ball over 6 times, and Renn had 5 turnovers. Goodell did manage to grab 11 rebounds. Temple's PF Charles Vassallo scored 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead them.

3/4/17 - beat La Salle 62-61 (22-8, 10-6) - A three-pointer from Chuck Whittemore at the buzzer was the game-winner in this one after La Salle's Erich Baker hit a jumper with :06 left to put them ahead. We shot just 35% from the field, while La Salle shot 40%. Rebounds were even, 41 to 40 in favor of us, turnovers were even at 13 each. They shot 25 free throws, hitting 16 of them, and we shot just 13, hitting only 7 of them. The main difference was three-point shooting, where we went 9-27 (33%) while they shot 3 of 15 (20%). Tramel scored 14 points to lead us in scoring, while Whittemore added 11. Goodell had 12 rebounds. Chase picked up 3 steals also. La Salle SF Jose Cross led them in scoring with 13 points.

[GoBlue2419]

2017 Atlantic 10 Tournament



First Round
Fordham 62, La Salle 59
Duquesne 83, GWU 74


Second Round
* Willard is at 95% for our game against Duquesne, and we will go ahead and play him.

- we beat Duquesne 80-69 (23-8, 10-6) - The key difference in this game was rebounding, where we out-rebounded them 35 to 25. They shot 52% overall, and 54% from three-point line (7-13), while we shot 48% overall, and 46% from the three-point line (10-22). They turned the ball over 17 times to our 13. Tramel scored 20 points to lead us, followed by Renn with 17, and Freddy Chase with 10. Goodell grabbed 7 rebounds to lead the way for us. Freddy Chase got 3 steals. Paul Ortega played a solid game off the bench, getting 8 points on 3 of 4 shooting (including 2 threes), and four rebounds, including 3 offensive rebounds. Duquesne's SG Werner Tibbetts led them with 17 points.

Temple 62, Fordham 47
St. Joseph's 59, St. Bonaventure 50

Rhode Island 101, UMass 87

Third Round
- we beat Rhode Island 76-63 (24-8, 10-6) - This was a sloppy game, with Rhode Island turning it over 19 times, and we turned it over 23 times. We shot 54% from the field though, and 53% on three-pointers. We also hit 71% of our free throws, while Rhode Island only hit 4 of their 10 free throws. Renn scored 22 points to lead all scorers, Tramel added 18 points, and Paul Ortega scored 11 points off the bench. Goodell grabbed 9 rebounds, while Willard added 8 boards. Chuck Whittemore dished out 8 assists, while turning the ball over just once. Renn, however, turned it over 7 times, but he did rack up 4 steals as well. Perry Gibson led Rhode Island with 13 points.

St. Joseph's 69, Temple 59 - the big upset here, as St. Joseph's dominates the boards, getting 37 rebounds to Temple's 27, and shooting 23 of 29 on free throws. Conference leading scorer David Hutchinson scored 23 points, behind 14 of 16 from the free throw line, to pace St. Joseph's.

Final
- we beat St. Joseph's 97-65 (25-8, 10-6) - This may have been our best overall game of the year, and was most definitely the best game of Johnnie Tramel's career. Tramel was pure monster, and St. Joe's had no answer for him. He hit 15 of his 21 shots, including 8 of 14 from beyond the three-point line, meaning he was 7 for 7 inside the line, for 39 points. Renn added 19 points, and Willard chipped in 14 points. Goodell grabbed 10 rebounds to lead us on the boards. Renn also dished out 5 assists, and turned the ball over just once. Freddy Chase picked up 3 steals. We were able to stifle David Hutchinson, holding him to 13 points, thanks to a tough, double-teaming strategy. SF James White led them in scoring with 14.


With the win, this is now my first Conference Tournament Championship as a head coach! We were considered a lock for the NCAA Tourney before this, but this guarantees we are going dancing for the second year in a row.

[GoBlue2419]

2017 NCAA Tournament First Round Matchup

- we end up as the 7th seed in the South Region, facing 10th seed Alabama (22-9, 9-7) in the First Round.
- Temple is the only other A10 team to make it, and picks up the #1 seed in the East Region.

#1 Seeds
West - California
Midwest - Wisconsin
South - Duke
East - Temple

Round 1
- Alabama Scouting Report - Alabama (Prestige: 81) averages 81.0 PPG while giving up 69.7. They went 14-2 at home, and 6-5 on the road. They are the 4th highest scoring team in the country. They shot 46% from the field overall, and 39% from the three-point line, good for 14th in the nation. Their PPS is 1.34, good for 20th in the nation. Defensively, they give up 44% from the field overall, and 36% from the three-point line. They shoot just 66% from the free throw line as a team. Their record against 1-50 RPI teams was 2-7, 51-100 was 7-1, 101-200 was 8-0, and 200+ was 5-1. Their current RPI rank is #28, while ours is 35.

Starting Lineup
PG - Steven Parmer, Fr (10.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.2 APG)
SG - Leigh Bumbardner, So (13.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.2 APG)
SF - Garrett Doucette, Sr (13.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.5 SPG)
PF - Charles Staggs, So (15.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.1 SPG)
C - Kevin Babineaux, Sr. (5.1 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.3 BPG)

[GoBlue2419]

2017 NCAA Tournament First Round

- we lose to Alabama 100-90 (25-9, 10-6) - this one was a track meet, and Alabama was able to outlast us. Alabama shot 55% overall, and 42% from the three-point line, while we shot 48% overall, and 46% from the three-point line. They beat us on the inside though, out rebounding us 39 to 25, getting 17 from Staggs and 15 from Babineaux, and 4 blocks from Babineaux. Renn led us with 28 points, while Tramel added 11. Goodell and Renn led us in rebounds with just 6 each. Whittemore picked up 5 assists. Renn did shoot 6 of 9 from the three-point line. Steven Parmer led Alabama with 21 points.

With the win, Alabama moves on to play 2nd seed Memphis, who beat Furman 113-94, and our season comes to an end.

Other notable 1st Round Games
West - (12) Sacramento State 76, (5) Fresno State 69
West - (10) Minnesota 77, (7) West Virginia 73
Midwest - (15) Oral Roberts 68, (2) Kansas 60
Midwest - (11) USC 89, (6) Vanderbilt 68
East - (12) Jacksonville 58, (5) Penn State 52
East - (10) Arkansas 75, (7) St. John's 70

[GoBlue2419]

Remainder of 2017 NCAA Tournament

Round of 32
West - (12) Sacramento State 86, (4) Houston 77
West - (10) Minnesota 104, (2) Texas A&M 90
West - (6) Villanova 81, (3) Clemson 65
Midwest - (9) Tulsa 77, (1) Wisconsin 72
Midwest - (5) Creighton 87, (4) North Carolina 72
Midwest - (11) USC 112, (3) Nevada 111
South - (9) Cincinnati 73, (1) Duke 60
South - (10) Alabama 91, (2) Memphis 90

Sweet Sixteen Round
West - (10) Minnesota 68, (6) Villanova 60
Midwest - (9) Tulsa 84, (5) Creighton 83
South - (10) Alabama 74, (3) Florida 70

Round of 8 Games
West - (1) California 72, (10) Minnesota 64
Midwest - (7) Michigan State 81, (9) Tulsa 64
South - (10) Alabama 86, (5) Arizona 75
East - (2) Syracuse 64, (1) Temple 60

Final Four
California 68, Alabama 60
Michigan State 94, Syracuse 91

Final
Michigan State 68, Syracuse 59

Other Tournaments
NIT - Missouri State 90, Kent State 61
CBI - Quinnipiac 78, Florida A&M 71
CIT - Charleston Southern 84, Centenary 49

[GoBlue2419]

2016-2017 End of Season Summary

- In April PG Brandmeier commits to us.

Final A10 Standings


Richmond Final Stats


Richmond Final Shooting Stats


NCAA Awards/All-American Team


Atlantic 10 Awards/All-American Team

[GoBlue2419]

2017-2018 Offseason Summary

A10 Players selected in NBA Draft:
- Temple PG Waldo Seal selected in the 2nd Round, #42 overall.

- Our prestige jumps to 74 (+4)

- John Byington would like a pay increase, from $40,000 to $60,000.
- I agree, and we give it to him.

- Walk-on PG Trey Kempf decides to transfer.

- Our AD lets me know the school has determined that we will upgrade our training facilities.
- Our current rating is 61, which is 4th in the A10.

- I received 20 coaching bonus points, so I give 15 to offense and 5 to defense. My new ratings are:
- Recruiting - 100
- Scouting - 40
- Offense - 45
- Defense - 75

- my Current Coaching Level has moved to 8 as well.
- my Current Hot Seat rating is Green/Cool.

Notable Head Coaching Moves
- Appalachian State - fired Jason Capel.
- Butler - Fired Ken McDonald. Hired Steve Hawkins from Wright State to replace him.
- Centenary - hired Corliss Williamson from Central Arkansas.
- Coastal Carolina - Cliff Ellis retired.
- UConn - Jim Calhoun retired. Hired Fran Dunphy from Temple to replace him.
- Florida Atlantic - fired Mike Jarvis.
- Georgia - Fired Mark Fox. Hired Rob Senderoff from Tulsa.
- Georgia Tech - Fired Brian Gregory. Hired Randy Bennett from Nevada.
- Iowa - Hired Paul Hewitt from Northern Iowa.
- Iowa State - Fired Fred Hoiberg. Hired Jose Manor, an assistant with Kansas.
- Minnesota - Dave Rose retired. Hired Fran McCaffrey from Iowa.
- Northwestern - Joe Mihalich retired. Hired Daron Gilliam, an assistant from Marquette.
- UNLV - Dave Rice fired. Hired Jim Hayford from Santa Clara.
- Utah - Larry Krystowiak fired. Hired Kerry Keating from Fresno State.
- Western Michigan - hired Todd Bozeman from Western Carolina.

* Jim Calhoun retires as the all-time winningest coach, with 1002 wins.
* Cliff Ellis retires with 694 wins, which is tied for 6th among coaches who have been active in this dynasty.
* The active coaches with the most wins are Jerry Slocum (Youngstown State), who has 717, and Rick Byrd (IUPUI), who has 686. John Calipari has 631 wins currently, Lon Kruger has 624, and Bill Self has 602.

There was a lot of change in the A10 this offseason:
- Duquesne - Ron Everhart retired. Hired Steve Massiello from George Mason.
- Fordham - Tom Pecora retired. Hired Tod Franko from American.
- Rhode Island - Jim Baron retired. Hired Cliff Warren from Jacksonville.
- St. Joseph's - Hired Dan Hurley from Wagner, replacing Blaine Taylor, who became the Dayton coach.
- Temple - Hired King Rice from Monmouth, replacing Fran Dunphy, who became the UConn coach.

[GoBlue2419]

2017-2018 Preseason Recruiting

- we have 1 scholarship available, and we free up one more by cutting PG Joel Deweese.
- we are losing SG Micah Tolson

- Initial Very Highs - SF Lindsay Geist (***, #228), PF Porter Larosa (***, #271)
- Initial Highs - SF Willy Stubblefield (***, #415), SG Pat Thomas (***, #189), PG William Beck (***, 445), C Brian Allen (***, 458), SF Dwayne Carswell (***, #226), PF Mark Embree (***, #356), C Edward Hong (***, 394), PF Gregory Boldt (***, #353)

* we offer a scholarship to C James Velilleux (****, #99) and PF Malcolm Adams (****, #79).

August
- Adams - interest drops to 'Low'. We revoke the offer.
- we extend an offer to C Joseph Dever (****, #62) - he has just 2 teams listed, Georgia Tech and Richmond. He's questionable for qualifying though.
- no Very High or High interest.

September
- High - PF Mark Embree
- Veilleux - has us #5 behind Duke, NC, Wake Forest, Georgetown (Average)
- Dever had a 660, now up to 850 - has us #2 behind Georgia Tech. We will have him visit, and if he still lists them above us, we'll bail. We do have a higher prestige rating though, and Coach Randy Bennett's recruiting rating is 50.

October
- Veilleux moves us up to #2 behind Duke, who has not offered him yet.
- Dever has us #2 still. We'll give it one more month.

November
- Dever still has us #2, so we revoke the offer.
- we offer the scholarship to C Paul Lenhart (****, #47) - he has us #5, behind Florida, Central Florida, Florida State, and Wake Forest. Only Central Florida has offered.
- Veilleux moves us up to #1.

[GoBlue2419]

2017-2018 Richmond Spiders Roster



Our lineup will be:
C - Tverdovsky
PF - Williams
SF - Tramel
SG - Renn
PG - Chase

6th - Whittemore (PG/SG)
7th - Tolson (SG/SF)
8th - Brandmaier (PG)
9th - Avila (PG)
10th - Kennon (SG)
11th - Ortega (C/PF/SF)
12th - Hayes (PF)
13th - Baylor (C)
14th - Swaim (PF)

Our schedule is:

[GoBlue2419]

November 2017 Games

* We start the season ranked #14 in the Mid Major Top 25 Poll.

11/11/17 - beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 87-47 (1-0) - We were on fire against A-PB, shooting 60% overall, and 42% from the three-point line. We force 23 turnovers by them, and they shoot just 37%, and 13% from the three-point line. Renn scored 20 points, Lavrenti Tverdovsky scored 15, and Frank Williams and Freddy Chase scored 12 each. Tverdovsky grabbed 8 rebounds. Tramel and Whittemore had 5 assists, and Renn had 4. Tverdovsky had 3 steals, but Renn did turn the ball over 6 times. SF Zachary Stouffer scored 13 for A-PB off the bench.

Alaska Invitational Tournament
11/17/17 - beat UTEP 70-60 (2-0) - UTEP turned the ball over 18 times, and made just 1 of 13 three-point attempts. We shot 39% from the field overall, and 33% (11-33) from beyond the arc. Tramel scored 16 to lead the team, with Tolson scoring 11 and Tverdovsky and Chase scoring 10. Renn added 9 points. Frank Williams had 13 rebounds, and Tverdovsky added 12 boards. As decent as we shot from the three-point line, Renn went 1-9, Tverdovsky went 1-6, Chase went 1-5. On the flip side, Williams hit 1-2, Tramel hit 3-5, Tolson went 3-3, and Brandmaier went 1-1.

11/18/17 - beat Arkansas 93-77 (3-0) - We hit 14 of 30 three-pointers, which was really the key to this victory. We also shot 48% overall, while Arkansas shot 38%, and 30% from the three-point line. We were able to overcome 18 turnovers because of the good shooting, including 27-33 from the free throw line. Tramel led us in scoring again, this time with 23 points, while Micah Tolson scored 13, and Renn and Whittemore added 10 each. Tverdovsky grabbed 11 rebounds to lead all players. Joseph Oliver led Arkansas with 21 points.

11/19/17 - beat Virginia 82-71 (4-0) - By beating Virginia, we won the Alaska Invitational Tournament. We shot 44% from the field, and shot 17 more shots overall than Virginia, which helped us overcome shooting just 6 free throws total. We hit 14 of 40 three-point shots, for 35%, while Virginia went 6 for 30. Tramel was the Player of the Tournament, finishing this game with 20 points, while Tverdovsky added 14 and Chase scored 11. Tverdovsky led us in rebounding with 8 boards. Tramel also dished out 7 assists. Virginia SG Elmer Zambrano led them in scoring with 18 points. This is the 2nd straight year we beat our in-state rival Virginia.

* We are now ranked #1 in the Mid Major Top 25 Poll.

11/27/17 - lose to Connecticut 74-47 (4-1) - The players must have still been feeling the effects of the Thanksgiving holiday, because this was brutal. We shot just 27% overall, and 18% (6-33) from the three-point line. We also got out-rebounded 51-41. Renn and Chase each scored 12 points to lead us in scoring. Williams grabbed 9 rebounds, and Tverdovsky pulled down 8 boards. Renn turned the ball over 6 times, and PF Frank Williams had 4 turnovers. Renn shot 2-11 on threes, and Micah Tolson went 1-7. UConn was just 1-2 coming into this game. THey were led in scoring by SG Gabriel Scherry.

11/29/17 - beat Boston University 71-49 (5-1) - The team took out its frustration from the UConn game out on the Terriers, and particularly Ross Renn. He has had a slow start to the season, but hopefully he has shaken off the rust and is ready to go. He scored 33 points tonight, all without shooting a free throw. He hit 7 of 10 three-pointers, and 13 of 22 overall. Tramel added 11 points. Renn also grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the team. Oren Hartford led Boston U with 11 points.

[GoBlue2419]

December 2017 Update

- Veilleux déclines to attend Duke.
- offer PF James Gonzalez a scholarship (****, #91)
- C Paul Lenhart has us #5 behind Florida, Florida State*, Central Florida*, and Wake Forest.

* we are now ranked #18 in the Mid Major Top 25 Poll.

12/2/17 - beat Coastal Carolina 94-80 (6-1) - we shot 60% from the field overall, and 50% (13-26) from the three-point line. Renn scored 21 to lead the way, followed by Tverdovsky with 20, Tramel with 19, and Chase with 16. Tramel also grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 8 assists. Four 3s from Renn (4 for 6) and 3 from Chase. Coastal Carolina's Andrew Raspberry scored 20 to lead them.

* we move up to #9 on the Mid Major Top 25 Poll. Conference-mate Rhode Island is currently #1, UMass is #3.

12/6/17 - beat Bucknell 78-58 (7-1) - Twenty Bucknell turnovers helped us to the win. We shot 48% to their 47%, and out-rebounded them 33 to 28. Renn scored 19 to lead us in scoring, Chase added 13, and Frank Williams scored 10. Freddy Chase also grabbed 7 rebounds to lead the team, and Chuck Whittemore picked up 5 assists. Paul Ortega picked up 3 steals off the bench. Augustine Whitcombe led Bucknell in scoring with 20 points.

* Now up to #6 in the Mid Major Poll.

12/11/17 - beat Old Dominion 72-66 (8-1) - 53% shooting overall, 48% three-point shooting, and winning the rebounding battle 37-28 were the keys to overcoming 25 turnovers by us. The second half of this game was just a mess. We had a 42-33 half-time lead, but got outscored 33-30 in the second because of sloppy play. Freddy Chase had 7 turnovers, Renn had 5, and Tramel had 4. Tramel finished with 22 points though, while Renn had 16, and Chase had 13. Tramel shot 5 for 9 from beyond the arc. Frank Williams was our leading rebounder with 8.

* Ross Renn scored the 1000th point of his career in the ODU game.

12/14/17 - beat Davidson 91-88 (9-1) - This one went to overtime, and was nip and tuck all the way. Davidson's Rob Bowlin hit 1 of 2 free throws with :13 left in regulation to tie it, but could have put them up one. We come down and get 3 seconds called on Micah Tolson. Chuck Whittemore hit 1 of 2 free throws with three seconds left in OT to put us up by three and secure the victory. Renn led us in scoring with 20, followed by Tverdovsky with 18, and Tramel with 17. Tramel grabbed 9 rebounds, while Tverdovsky and Williams had 7 each. Whittemore picked up 6 assists off the bench, and may be playing himself back into the starting lineup. Tramel had 6 turnovers, and Renn had 5 turnovers on the negative side of the stats. Davidson was led in scoring by Clay Martin with 20 points.

* we are now #4 in the Mid Major Poll. Rhode Island is still #1, and UMass is #7 thanks to a loss to Sacred Heart.

12/20/17 - lose to #18 North Carolina 89-86 (9-2) - Another OT game, this time a loss, but we played well against a Top 20 team. Freddy Chase hit a three with :20 left in regulation to tie it up and send it to overtime. Overtime was close the whole way, and we had a shot to tie it up at the end, but William Hayes missed a three from the corner at the buzzer. Freddy Chase had his best game as a collegiate player, scoring 29 points to lead us, aided by 8 of 12 shooting from beyond the three-point line. Renn scored 16 points, and Whittemore and Tolson scored 13. Tramel, Renn, and Tverdovsky all fouled out. Tverdovsky grabbed 11 rebounds to lead us in that category. Tramel dished out 5 assists. North Carolina was led by Jules Wyrick, who scored 26 points and had 12 rebounds. North Carolina shot 56% from the field overall.

* we fall to #7 in the Mid Major Poll.

12/27/17 - beat Coppin State 73-61 (10-2) - Thanks to holding Coppin State to 35% shooting, and just 21% on threes, we pull out the win. We shot 45% overall, and 38% (13-34) on threes. Renn scored 25 points to lead us, while Chase scored 21, and Tramel added 18. Williams and Chase grabbed 8 rebounds each. Tramel dished out 5 assists. Chase was 5-12 on threes, Renn was 4-12, and Tramel was 4-6. Baltasar Cortes led Coppin State with 18 points.

12/30/17 - beat Louisville 92-77 (11-2) - Louisville came into this game unranked, but 10-3, and feature one of the best players in the country, SG Cameron Bailey. I'm not afraid to say I was very nervous about this game. I decide to slow down the pace we normally play with, and run a less-structured offense, and it pays off. We shot 51% from the floor overall, and 46% from the three-point line (15-33), and 72% from the free throw line (21-29). Our shooting, plus Louisville shooting just 42% overall, and 33% on threes, allowed us to overcome getting out-rebounded 42-29. Johnnie Tramel wanted to let everyone know he could hang with Bailey, and he did just that, scoring 26 points. Bailey had 25 points for Louisville in this shoot-out. Renn added 18 for us, and Chase finished with 16 points. Renn also dished out 5 assists, while Tverdovsky led us in rebounding with 6. Freddy Chase had 4 steals as well.

* we move back up to #4 in the Mid Major Poll.

Renn leads us in scoring at this point, averaging 17.4 PPG. Tramel is second at 15.4, and Chase is averaging 13.0. Tverdovsky is our leading rebounder, at 7.5 RPG, while Frank Williams is averaging 6.8. Tramel is averaging 3.6 APG, Chase is averaging 1.7 SPG, and Tverdovsky is averaging 0.8 BPG.

Freddy Chase is our leading shooter, shooting 53% overall. He is also our leading three-point shooter percentage-wise, hitting 45% of the threes he takes. Renn has made the most threes, 37, and is shooting 40% from the three-point line.

The current NCAA Top 10 is:
1. Duke (15-0)
2. Villanova (11-0)
3. Texas A&M (13-0)
4. Marquette (13-0)
5. Syracuse (13-1)
6. Kansas (12-1)
7. Maryland (13-0)
8. Memphis (12-1)
9. Pittsburgh (13-2)
10. Cincinnati (12-1)

Rhode Island is currently 17th in the polls, and is the only A10 team ranked.

[GoBlue2419]

January 2018 Update

- Lenhart declines the scholarship, choosing to attend Florida State.
- we offer a scholarship to C Edward Hong (***, #394) - Mr. Basketball in Delaware.

1/3/18 - lose to NJIT 68-52 (11-3) - we shot 3 free throws total . . . . . three. How is that possible? We shot 34% overall, and just 20% from the three-point line. Our team is going to be a team of living by the three, dying by the three this year. Ross Renn was our leading scorer, with 13 points. Paul Ortega grabbed 7 rebounds off the bench. Daron Comfort led NJIT in scoring with 16.

Start of Conference Play
* we are #8 in the Mid Major Poll

1/8/18 - beat La Salle 83-63 (12-3, 1-0) - This was the Renn and Tramel Show. As a team, we shot 53% overall, and 40% on threes, while turning the ball over just 8 times. Turnovers has been an area of concern, so this makes me happy. I gave the players a little more flexibility before this game, and it seemed to work. We'll see if it lasts. We also decided to take advantage of our depth and press more regularly. But anyway, back to Renn and Tramel. Renn scored 32 points and Tramel scored 28. Tramel hit 6 of 11 threes, and Renn hit 5 of 7. Frank Williams grabbed 7 rebounds to lead us. Renn also picked up 4 steals, and Tramel added 3. Raphael Tomlin led La Salle in scoring with 14 points.

1/13/18 - beat Duquesne 102-70 (13-3, 2-1) - We were on fire from the three-point line, leading to this dismantling of Duquesne. We hit 18 of the 32 threes we attempted (56%), with Tramel and Renn each going 3-5, Chase hit 5 of 8, Brandmaier hit 2 of 3, Williams was 2 of 4, and others with 1 three made. Tramel scored 21 to lead us, followed by Chase with 20, and Renn with 19, while Ortega hit for 15 off the bench. Tverdovsky led us in rebounding with 8. Renn also had 3 steals. Carlos Watson led Duquesne with 15 points.

* we are ranked #4 in the Mid Major Poll.

1/17/18 - lose to #15 Rhode Island 83-60 (13-4, 2-1) - Live by the three, die by the three . . . . . We hit just 9 of 33 beyond the arc, and shoot 38% overall, while getting hammered on the boards (49 to 29). Tramel led us with 13 points, and Tolson scored 10 off the bench. Williams grabbed 9 rebounds. Meanwhile, Tverdovsky played 20 minutes, because of foul trouble, but failed to get ONE rebound. Tracey Bankston led Rhode Island with 27 points.

1/20/18 - beat Fordham 87-77 (14-4, 3-1) - This game was seemingly played at the free throw line, as Fordham shot 42 free throws, and we shot 32 from the charity stripe. We hit 26 of our 32 though, and they hit just 23 of their 42. THey also turned the ball over 22 times, which wasted their 51% shooting. Tramel scored 23 points to lead us, while Renn had 17, Tolson scored 15, and Williams added 12. Williams grabbed 9 boards, and Tverdovsky grabbed 7. Fordham C German Whitehurst scored 19 points to lead them in scoring.

* Johnie Tramel scored the 1000th point of his career in this game.
* Chuck Whittemore sprained his ankle and is expected to miss around 8 days.
* we are ranked #8 in the Mid Major Poll.

1/24/18 - lose to St. Joseph's 60-46 (14-5, 3-2) - Shooting again is the theme here, both poor shooting on our part and difficulty getting to the free throw line. We shot 33% overall, and just 25% from the three-point line (8 of 32). We also get out rebounded once again. Renn scored 16 points, and Tramel added 10. Tverdovsky grabbed 12 boards, while Williams added 10. Freddy Chase picked up 4 steals. Jose Pouliot scored 16 points to lead St. Joseph's.

1/27/18 - beat St. Bonaventure 85-76 (15-5, 4-2) - Things settled down some after a fiery first half that saw us go into the locker room with a 48-42 lead. This game, was the opposite of the last one. One of the keys to the win was getting to the line 36 times, where we only hit 20 of them, but St. Bonaventure got to the line just 18 times. We shot 51% overall, 42% from the three-point line, while they shot 54% overall and 30% from the three-point line. Renn went off for 30 points, helped by 4 threes, while Chase scored 15, and Tramel added 12. Williams grabbed 12 rebounds to lead us. Whittemore picked up 3 steals in his return to the lineup. Rodney Calabro led St. Bonaventure with 18 points.

* we are ranked #10 in the Mid Major Poll.

1/31/18 - beat Temple 84-77 (16-5, 5-2) - Not a pretty game, as Temple turned the ball over 20 times, but we had 21 turnovers. They shot 35% overall, 21% on threes, while we shot 42% overall, but 40% on threes. Rebounds were even at 49 each. Renn scored 25 to lead us, with Tramel adding 18, Tverdovsky with 13, and Chase with 12. Tverdovsky grabbed 16 rebounds, Tramel had 8, and Williams and Renn each had 7. Tramel did turn the ball over 6 times. Henry Tu led Temple with 14 points.

Current Conference Standings
1. #12 Rhode Island (6-1)
2. Richmond (5-2)
3. Temple (5-2)
4. Massachusetts (5-2)
5. Duquesne (4-3)
6. St. Joseph's (4-3)
7. St. Bonaventure (2-5)
8. Fordham (2-5)
9. La Salle (1-6)
10. George Washington (1-6)

Renn leads us in scoring at 18.4 PPG, Tramel is averaging 15.8 PPG, and Chase is averaging 11.8 PPG. Tverdovsky and Williams are both averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. Tramel and Chase are both averaging 3.0 assists per game, and Renn leads us in steals at 1.5 per game. Tverdovsky is averaging 0.6 blocks per game to lead us in that category.

[GoBlue2419]

February 2018 Update

2/3/18 - lose to George Washington 81-64 (16-6, 5-3) - Poor shooting once again, 32% overall and 33% from the three-point line (8-24), leads to our demise in this game. Renn scored 27 points to lead all scorers, and Brandmaier added 12 points. Williams grabs 9 boards, and Tverdovsky picked up 8 boards. Andrew Velazquez led GWU with 18 points. They out-rebounded us 50-37.

* we are ranked #12 in the Mid Major Poll.

2/7/18 - lose to St. Joseph's 71-58 (16-7, 5-4) - Two straight conference losses . . .Once again its poor shooting and getting out-rebounded. We shot 38% overall, though we did hit 41% of our threes. But we got pounded on the glass, 40-27. Chase scored 18 points, and Renn added 12. Williams had 7 rebounds to lead us. Renn turned the ball over 6 times, Tramel 5 times. Chase picked up 3 steals.

2/10/18 - beat Duquesne 87-80 (17-7, 6-4) - we rebound from the consecutive losses with a win over the Dukes. We shoot better overall, 50%, but hit only 28% on our threes. But we did hit 80% of our free throws (24-30). Chase scored 20, thanks to 10-11 from the free throw line, Renn had 18, and Tverdovsky, Williams, and Tramel had 11 each. Williams, Renn, and Chase all had 7 rebounds to lead the team. Tramel and Chase each had 5 assists as well. Renn picked up 3 steals also. Carlos Watson had 18 points for Duquesne.

* Bubble Watch - right now we are projected as out of the NCAA Tournament, so we need to get going. #19 Rhode Island is considered a lock at 22-3, and Temple is projected in at this point (17-6).

* Stay at #12 in the Mid Major Poll.

2/14/18 - beat Fordham 77-55 (18-7, 7-4) - We forced 23 Fordham turnovers, and limited them to 35% shooting from the field. Meanwhile, we shot 43% overall and 28% on threes. We were out-rebounded 33 to 23 as well. Renn scored 13 to lead us, Chase and Williams scored 12, and Tverdovsky added 11. Tverdovsky pulled in 9 rebounds to lead us there. Whittemore dished out 6 assists. Freddy Chase got 5 steals, and Tverdovsky blocked 2 shots. James Autrey led Fordham with 16 points.

2/17/18 - beat #19 Rhode Island 95-93 (19-7, 8-4) - Due to the rebounding issues, I decide to start William Hayes at PF and move Williams to C, bringing Tverdovsky off the bench. It makes us smaller, as Williams is 6-7 and Hayes is 6-5, but Hayes is probably our best rebounder, and is a better post defender than Tverdovsky. Well, the move pays off in this game at least. Renn going for 27 points helps as well, but Frank Williams scored 18 points in the center position, with Tramel adding 16 points. Hayes was our leading rebounder, with 9, while Williams had 8. Chase dished out 6 assists, though he also turned the ball over 6 times. Hayes blocked 2 shots in addition, scoring 9 points also. Renn picked up 3 steals. Ramon Appel led Rhode Island with 20 points.

* We are now #8 in the Mid Major Poll.

* we have now moved to an "In" projection for the Tournament.

2/21/18 - beat La Salle 92-63 (20-7, 9-4) - The move of Hayes to the starting lineup really seems to be working thus far, contributing to our 20th win of the year, and 4th in a row after the consecutive losses. Hayes led us in rebounding again with 9 boards, while Williams had 8 and Tverdovsky had 8th off the bench. Tramel led us in scoring with 24 points, Renn and Tverdovsky scored 14, and Tolson added 10. Jose Cross scored 16 to lead La Salle.

2/25/18 - lose to Temple 78-52 (20-8, 9-5) - The old shooting bugaboo returned as we shot just 33% overall, and 9 of 30 from the three-point line. Temple out rebounded us also, 39-32. Renn scored 19 and was the only Spider in double-digits points. Williams got 7 boards, whilel Hayes and Tverdovsky each had 6. George Heredia scored 18 points to lead Temple.

* We are ranked #8 still in the Mid Major Poll.

2/28/18 - lose to UMass 108-98 (20-9, 9-6) - We lose in OT. UMass shot 37 free throws, hitting 29 of them, while we shot only 10, hitting just 5 of them. UMass also shot 50% from the field, and 46% from the three-point line, while we shot 45% overall, and 39% from threes. Renn scored 23, Tramel scored 22, Tolson scored 16, and Chase added 13. Williams pulled down 10 rebounds to lead us, but Hayes picked up only 3 boards in 34 minutes of action. UMass SG David Dixon was the man, going for 39 points behind 7 threes.

* we're now officially out of the Regular Season Conference title.

A10 Standings
1. #17 Rhode Island (11-4)
2. Temple (11-4)
3. St. Joseph's (11-4)
4. Richmond (9-6)
5. UMass (8-7)
6. Duquesne (7-8)
7. St. Bonaventure (6-9)
8. Fordham (5-10)
9. La Salle (4-11)
10. George Washington (3-12)

Richmond Scoring
Ross Renn, 18.6 PPG
Johnnie Tramel, 15.0 PPG
Freddy Chase, 11.1 PPG

Richmond Rebounding
Frank Williams, 7.3 RPG
Lavrenti Tverdovsky, 7.0 RPG
Johnnie Tramel, 4.4 RPG

Richmond Assists
Johnnie Tramel, 3.0 APG
Freddy Chase, 2.9 APG

Richmond Steals
Freddy Chase, 1.6 SPG
Ross Renn, 1.6 SPG

Richmond Blocks
Lavrenti Tverdovsky, 0.6 BPG

Leading Shooters (Overall)
Freddy Chase, .484
Chuck Whittemore, .472
Ross Renn, .455

Three-point Shooting
Benjamin Brandmaier, .450 (18-40)
Chuck Whittemore, .408 (20-49)
Frank Williams, .407 (24-59)

Free Throw Shooting
Benjamin Brandmaier, .893 (25-28)
Micah Tolson, .826 (19-23)
Ross Renn, .792 (80-101)

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by GoBlue2419

2/30/18

The future is weird.

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by britrock88

The future is weird.

The previous leap year was cancelled due to poor health by the general populace, but it was made up in 2018.

Post actually updated with the right date.

[GoBlue2419]

March 2017 Pre A10 Tournament Update

- 3/2/18 - beat St.Bonaventure 97-94 (21-9, 10-6) - we rebound from the two consecutive losses with the win in our final regular season game. We shot 53% overall, and 44% from the three-point line. St. Bonaventure shot well also, hitting 53% overall, and 8 of 14 threes. Renn scored 25 points, Chase had 20, Tramel had 15, Williams had 13, and Hayes added 11. Hayes also grabbed 9 rebounds, and Williams picked up 7 rebounds. Tramel dished out 7 assists. On the negative side, Renn had 8 turnovers. Chase hit all 4 threes he attempted. Renn went 5-11 from the three-point line. Gene Oloughlin led St. Bonaventure with 33 points.

* we are #9 in the Mid Major Poll

* Bubble Watch now has us out.

[GoBlue2419]

2018 Atlantic 10 Tournament



1st Round
Fordham beat La Salle 69-47
St. Bonaventure beat GWU 64-56

[GoBlue2419]

Remainder of 2018 A10 Tournament

Second Round
3/9/18 - beat UMass 83-73 (22-9, 10-6) - We jumped out to a big 23 point lead in the first half as UMass was ice cold. But they got hot in the last 5 minutes of the half to pull within 16, 44-28, at the half. Tramel scored 16 points in the first half to lead the way. One change to the lineup I made was starting Chuck Whittemore at PG instead of Freddy Chase because of Whittemore's defense. UMass SG David Dixon is averaging 20 points a game, and we needed to try to slow him down. In the second half, UMass kept firing, and every time they looked to be threatening, we would hit a big three to provide a little more cushion again. Foul trouble kept things interesting for us, but in the end, we shot well enough to win it. Tramel finished with 28 points, and Renn had 22. Tramel hit 4 threes and Renn hit 6 of the 9 he shot. Williams grabbed 9 rebounds. David Dixon finished with 20 points, bu the did it on just 5 of 12 shooting.

Fordham beat Temple 70-69
Rhode Island beat St. Bonaventure 52-41
St. Joseph's beat Duquesne 68-50

Semi-finals
3/10/18 - beat Fordham 90-74 (23-9, 10-6) - We shot very well in this game, shooting 54% overall, and 52% from the three-point line. We also rebounded well enough to grab 32 boards to their 28, contributing to the victory. Tramel and Renn shot very well from deep, Tramel hitting 5 of 11 threes and Renn hit 4 of the 6 he took. William Hayes grabbed 9 boards to lead the team, and also dished out 5 assists. Harvey Brown scored 15 to lead Fordham.

Finals
3/11/18 - beat #20 Rhode Island 86-82 (24-9, 10-6) - In the first half we capitalized on 10 Rhode Island turnovers, getting a number of fast break points, and jumping out to a 42-32 lead. In the second half, Rhode Island's leading scorer Tracey Bankston picked up two quick fouls in the first 34 seconds, and had to sit with four fouls for much of the half. Rhode Island would get the deficit down to 2 points a few times, but then a big three or easy bucket would build our lead back up. But then with 4:18, Rhode Island took the lead 71-70 on a basket by Chris Stepp. Chase immediately came back down and hit a three to give us a 1 point lead. After a Rhode Island miss, Chase came down and hit another three to give us a 4 point. Much of the rest of the game was spent at the free throw line by both teams as foul trouble became prevalent. Tramel fouled out with 2:54 left, and then Renn fouled out with 2:01 left. Rhode Island pulled within one again with 1:20 left, before another Chase three put us back up by 4 with :52 seconds left. Chase then committed a foul on Ellsworth Poche, who hit two free throws to pull back within 2 with :43 left. After Chase hit one of two free throws after that, Rhode Island's Kevin Cintron hit a jumper to pull them back within 1 with :36 left. Tolson then hit 1 of 2, Rhode Island missed, and Tolson got fouled for two shots with :10 left and a 2 point lead. He hit both to put us up by 4, and that was the final margin. Freddy Chase was the star of the game, hitting 24 points, many of them key buckets at critical moments. He was 6 of 7 from the three-point line. Tramel finished with 15 points before fouling out, while Renn had his least productive game of the season, tallying only 3 points, shooting 1 for 15 overall, and 1-12 on threes. William Hayes grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the team.

With the win, we ensure we make the NCAA Tournament and Selection Sunday will be a much more enjoyable day for us.

[GoBlue2419]

2018 NCAA Tournament First Round

#1 Seeds
West - Kentucky (28-6)
Midwest - Texas A&M (28-6)
South - Duke (32-1)
East - Villanova (32-1)

- we end up the 8th seed in the East Region, and will open up the Tournament with 9th seed Maryland (24-8).
- Rhode Island is the 6th seed in the East Region, facing 11th seed Illinois.
- Temple was a 12b seed in the South, playing 12a Nevada in the Play-in game.

Big name teams not making the Tournament
- Notre Dame - after making the Tournament from 2011-2015, including losing in the Championship in 2011, and reaching the Final Four in 2013 and 2015, it is now two years in a row they fail to earn a bid. This year they are 19-12 (5-7).
- Ohio State - OSU has made the tournament every year since 2011, including a loss in the Championship and 2 Sweet Sixteen appearances, but are 19-12 (9-7) this season, and fail to qualify.
- UConn - Going just 13-19 this year in their first year since Jim Calhoun retired, UConn fails to make the Tournament for the first time since 2013.
- Michigan - my alma mater fails to make the Tourney, going 13-17 (5-11). This is now 2 years in a row they have failed to make the tournament.
- Butler - Butler goes 14-17 (4-12), and has now missed the Tournament 4 seasons in a row.
- Hawaii - because bbgunn has asked about them, Hawaii goes 14-16 and misses out on the postseason altogether.

* Rumors about coach firings start swirling this time of year, and some of the names being talked about as victims to the chopping block are Tom Crean at Indiana, Darrin Horn at South Carolina, and Chris Mack at Xavier. My name has been thrown around as potential candidates for some of these jobs.

Maryland Scouting Report
Maryland is 24-8, and went 9-7 in the Big 10, currently ranked #24. They aren't a high scoring team, averaging 69.0 points a game, but they only give up 60.0 points a game. Their leading scorers are senior SG Archie Aguero (13.9 PPG), freshman SF Charles Magness (12.3 PPG), and junior PG Johnie Palm (11.2 PPG). Their leading rebounders are junior C Arnoldo Bruns (6.2 RPG) and freshman C Jonathan Wright (5.0 RPG), the player I was really hoping to get along with Frank Williams in last year's recruiting class. They are not a great rebounding team, averaging 32.4 per game, good for 302nd in the nation, but shoot the three very well (37.9% as a team), and don't turn the ball over very often, averaging 11.8 per game. Their biggest win, and only win against a ranked team, was a Feb. 13th win over #17 Michigan State, 85-55.

Their starting lineup:
C - Arnoldo Bruns, 6-10, 270 lbs., JR (4.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG)
PF - Bryan Beeman, 6-8, 231 lbs., SO (5.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.3 BPG)
SF - Charles Magness, 6-6, 238 lbs., FR (12.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG)
SG - Archie Aguero, 6-2, 206 lbs., SR (13.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG)
PG - Johnie Palm, 6-0, 183 lbs., JR (11.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.2 SPG)

[Crapshoot]

Enjoyable read!

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Enjoyable read!

Thanks Crapshoot!

[GoBlue2419]

2018 NCAA Tournament First Round

3/17/18 - beat Maryland 90-75 (25-9) - As poorly as Renn played in the Rhode Island game, he quickly and emphatically made amends in the first half. He scored 25 points in the half and dished out 4 assists. We trailed for most of the half, but pulled ahead with about 3:40 left, and then built the lead to a 47-37 lead at the break. He came out firing again in the second half, scoring 8 quick points in the first 6:08. But then at that point, he picked up his 4th foul, and had to sit for awhile. We had a 57-45 lead when he sat. Instead of suffering with his absence, we built a bigger cushion, creating a 22 point differential at one point. In the end, our great shooting, 55% overall, 50% (16-32) from the three-point line, were just too much for Maryland. We out rebounded them 31-26, aiding in the victory as well. Renn finished with 36 points on 9-14 shooting from the three-point line, while Tramel scored 14, and Williams and Brandmaier, playing very well off the bench in extended minutes with Renn's foul trouble, scored 11 each. Williams led us in rebounding with 6, so it was a very balanced, team-focused rebounding effort.


Other Notable First Round games

West
(12) BYU beat (5) Wake Forest 63-61

Midwest
(13) Stephen F. Austin beat (4) California 85-77
(11) Wichita State beat (6) Texas Tech 59-51

South
(12a) Nevada beat (12b) Temple 71-59
(15) UNC-Asheville beat (2) Kansas 70-66
(10) Gonzaga beat (7) Iowa 88-71

East
(10) Baylor beat (7) Vanderbilt 82-60.
(6) Rhode Island beat (11) Illinois 84-78